Ultimate Spider-Man continues to show the adventures of a teenage Spider-Man, dealing with high school and being trained by S.H.I.E.L.D. This current take on the character is more on the zany side which allows Spider-Man to showcase his trademark wittiness while also giving us a less serious take on Marvel characters mixed with plenty of action.
The latest episode, "Freaky," airs Sunday, June 17, 2012, on Disney XD. If you haven't seen the video feature on the episode yet, it features Wolverine and the return of Steve Blum.
As you may know, this isn't the first time voice actor Steve Blum has voiced Wolverine. That's one of the things that made this episode so enjoyable. We were all saddened when Wolverine and the X-Men didn't return for a second season and it's great to have some consistency with voice actors. Especially when they're so good at certain roles. Blum has voiced so many different characters and does each so well. It's such a treat to hear his Wolverine become part of this interpretation of the Marvel Universe.
I've heard some criticism against the show's light-hearted nature. Spider-Man breaks away from the action to break the fourth wall from time to time. This happens especially when a 'new' character appears onscreen. It's a great way for viewers not completely familiar with the entire Marvel Universe to keep track of who is who.
Wolverine may seem like a strange guest star to have and we're not the only ones to question this as Spider-Man's immediate reaction is, "Wolverine, what are you doing here?"
Similar to the story originally told in ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN (which is no surprise due to Brian Michael Bendis' involvement), events lead to Spider-Man and Wolverine switching bodies. You can imagine what it would be like when each discovers the change has happened. This is reason enough to tune in. There's also another villain besides Mesmero they have to deal with. The simple fact that we can actually see Spider-Man and Wolverine in the same cartoon with Nick Fury and other characters makes me happy.
The wackiness of the show works in keeping it separated from past incarnations. There have been so many different Spider-Man animated series. Some have been great and others...not so much. But rather than give us another really good straight forward series, this keeps things fresh and light.
With this episode being based on an actual comic book issue, it's not one that would have worked in past series. This show has the potential to stand out from the others. It may not go down in television history as the greatest adaptation of a comic book character but it will be known as one of the more fun ones.
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